Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover (author of Hopeless. She did it again!!)

Title: Slammed
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Slammed
Book #: 1
Pages: 214
Reading Level:New Adult
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.39
Published: Jan 5th, 2012

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

Taschima's POV:

Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

This book was more like the slam to the heart part.

I am in love with Colleen Hoover's writing. I thought, nah, I was absolutely positive that Slammed couldn't be better than Hopeless. Well, I was right, Hopeless is still my favorite but Slammed is JUST as good. Everything about it was great, the intricate story line, the family problems faced, the characters, Will...

Oh Will, and Lake. Them together, is like poetry. It all starts the moment Lake, her mom and little brother Kel move to Michigan. Their father recently passed away and they are trying to get away from the memories, plus they needed to move because her mother, being now their sole provider, needed to get a job that could help them stay afloat. And so they move to Michigan. Lake is expecting to hate Michigan, but little does she know what Michigan has in store for her. First day, just right after getting out of their U-haul her little brother makes best friends with the boy across the street. And Lake soon enough (5 minutes later) makes friends with the little boy's brother, Will. Will asks her out and they have the best first date of their lives... and then comes the painful separation.

This book was a punch in the HEART. The relationship between Lake and Will was so mature when it counted and so profound. Lake was a girl I connected with since page one. She had thoughts that I only ever dared to think and never speak aloud. She worries about her brother, about herself, about what it means to have friends and be best friends with someone else, what it means to have the kind of connection with another person... I loved reading from her POV. Not that she can't act her age. She has a problem with confronting problems head on, prefers to carve pumpkins all day instead of talking about it. And she is prone to put on a tantrum once in a while. She can be difficult but all the other sides of her, her strong will and commitment to her family, make up for the small imperfections. She is real, and I like reading from the POV of a real strong girl.

Will was difficult! Sometimes more than he had to be, but at the same time... so worth it. His commitment to his little brother? That made me fall in love with him right on the spot. He is twenty one but he asks way older than that, and he is sexy and likes poetry and and and... I can't even. The only way he gets better? When you read Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) and it is written in his POV!!!!!!!!! That made my LIFE!

All the extra characters were essential to the story, and even though this particular title was mostly to introduce us to Will and Lake, their circumstances, their love, it also helped to put the foundation for the side characters. In Point of Retreat they become even more important. I found myself loving Kel and Caulder (the little brothers) and Eddie (Lake's best friend, she is a girl) and Gavin (Eddie's boyfriend). And Julia, Lake's mother, was amazing. Great mother figure in an NA novel. I loved her presence and how she balanced the role of mother and friend. It was perfect.

The slam poetry was another huge perk of the story. It was incredible, and used at specific points to summarize the story so well. This is the kind of book that inspires you to put your own pen to paper, push your boundaries because that's what they're there for.

I can't even begin to give this story justice. It has so many layers. Colleen Hoover is my favorite New Adult author. I loved her other novel, Hopeless more than words can say and now I absolutely am in love with Slammed. After reading it I told ALL my friends on Facebook to read it. Separately by the chat. I wrote to EACH of them and told them to buy this book immediately. I suggest you follow my advice and buy it right now too!

Other fantastic books by Colleen Hoover: